Six Things To Remember When You First Start Blogging

The other day, a blog post flashed up on my Twitter timeline. It was by Rebecca from Rebecca Reviews and it was titled: 1 Month Blog-versary (And My Tips For Other Newbies). It was a really useful post and whilst reading I thought, wasn’t Rebecca was one of the first people I followed when I started out on Twitter. Then I thought, yes hang on, it must be coming up to my one month blog-versary too! Sure enough, I checked and I had shared my very first post (Study Tips from an Open University Student) on 18th October 2017 which means I’ve also been doing this thing for a whole month too.

Feeling inspired by Rebecca’s thoughtful tips, I wanted to share my own ideas and suggestions for other newbie bloggers and recap on my first month of hellobexa.

1. It’s okay to ask for advice. Being a newbie on the blogging scene can be quite overwhelming to start with. We are only just finding our feet and working out the basics whilst being caught up in a whirlwind of polished looking posts and professional looking photographs. Blogging is all about discovering and developing your own unique style. So never be afraid to ask for help – there is always always someone out there that will be available to offer some useful advice or point you in the right direction. There are tons and tons of blogs on the subject of blogging too. I particularly like: 6 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Blogging by Amie and 8 Things I Have Learned After Four Years Blogging by Jemma. Just remember everybody started out as being a newbie too.

2. Learn the tricks. When I first started reading other people blogs and looking at their photographs, I thought how on earth does everyone have such clean, stylish and photogenic backgrounds?! I am going to have to either move house or at least invest in an expensive looking marble table. Before I did anything of that drastic description, I found out from (from Sophie) during a Twitter chat that wallpaper samples are the secret. Wow. Later on, I went to B&Q and sure enough marble, brick, wood and every other Pinterest-style wallpaper exists and a sample is absolutely free! So there you go, no marble tables required.

3. Support your fellow bloggers. The most important (and fun) thing about blogging is connecting with other people. I have found Twitter to be the most effective social media platform for doing just that. You can encourage others to reach their goals, promote other bloggers, get inspired and join in with chats to learn new things (see tip #2). I am positive that Twitter has completely enriched my whole blogging experience. If you don’t know where to begin, Bloggers Tribe, The Blogger Crowd, LBloggers and The Girl Gang are great accounts to follow, enabling you get involved and make new friends.

4. Never stop learning. I recently purchased the book: The Million Dollar Blog and found it to be a really useful place to start if you want to deepen your understanding of the complex world of blogging. Hey, I even know a little about what SEO means now, check me out. A lot of this is way over my head right now, but it’s good to know there are detailed steps to take to grow your blog plus they seem easy to follow when the time comes. I have also bookmarked links from how to take better photographs to how to turn your blogging hobby into a career. There is a whole world of information out there and its so exciting to learn more and more everyday.

5. It’s okay to say no. Having a blog means others may approach you with requests – such as collaborations, brands looking for some free advertising in exchange for a freebie, and so on. Some of these will be fantastic opportunities and I say go for it. Others, on the other hand, may not be right for your blog and your readers. You will know what you are genuinely excited about and can’t wait to share on your blog. And you will also know what doesn’t quite feel right. In my experience, if you are honest with a brand or PR company with your thoughts and feelings then they are normally fine about it. Don’t risk losing your authenticity for a quick payout or freebie.

6. Stay positive. As Rebecca says in her post, stay positive at all times. Like anything, blogging can come with its fair share of stresses and pressures. You want to keep up with a regular posting schedule, you want to join in with all the Twitter chats, you want to respond to comments and leave encouragement for others, you want to do everything. On top of that, you are drafting blogs, planning, writing, taking photos, looking for more inspiration – it’s a lot to do! If you feel like your blogging life is getting a bit much, take a step back and chill. Only return when you are feeling refreshed and energized. Blogging should always be a rewarding and positive experience – instead of stressing, you should be buzzing to sit down at the computer and start writing your next post.

As I write this, my blog has had just hit over 1,000 views and I have reached over 800 followers on Twitter. I feel so grateful for every single person I have interacted with and I’m really excited about the future of my blog and what opportunities and surprises will come up next. I am looking forward to follow my new blogging friends journeys and see where it takes them too. Let’s see what next month brings for everyone!

Are you a newbie blogger? Let me know how you are finding it all. Also experienced bloggers, feel free to leave any tips and suggestions. I would love to hear from you all.

88 Comments

Congrats and brill post Bexa! I’m glad my post inspired you. I always remember you were one of the first I followed too so we are defo newbies together 😘 I obviously need to get down to B&Q! Some great tips there for other bloggers 💕

Aw thanks so much Rebecca for the lovely comment and for your inspiration 💕. Yes! There is such much to choose from at B&Q. I’m going to have a look again soon for some fresh samples! Have a lovely weekend 😘 xx

Yay!! I’m sooooo happy I helped! I have a box full of samples! I’m going to do a post around it as it’s been on my to-do for a while now! Keep collecting also invest in some beautiful plants I’m off to buy a couple more today 💕✌🏻 Xxx

Well done on hitting over 1,000 views! This is great advice, I’ve only just started blogging and, as much as I love it, i’m a total noob when it comes to promoting on twitter and pinterest. It literally took me half an hour just to work out how to put my post into a tweet (so it also comes up with the photo). I also had no idea about the background samples, I definitely need to go to B&Q! Thanks so much for all the advice, it’s much appreciated x

Aw thank you so much Meera! 💕He he, I know what you mean, it does take a while to learn how to do everything. I still have no idea how to use Pinterest to promote my blog, I’m saving that for another time 😄. I’m glad you enjoyed my advice and found the post useful. I think everyone should know about the B&Q wallpaper samples, it really changes a photo! Have a lovely weekend 😘 xx

Thank you so much for your comment 💕. Wow, that’s an excellent tip! £2 isn’t too much for a nice photo backdrop. When I go back to B&Q next I’m defo going to check them out ☺️. Thank you for sharing 😘 xx

Thank you so much for your lovely comment Hayley! 💕 Photography can be tricky but does gets easier with practice ☺️ have fun with it. All the best with your blog and I’m glad you found the post helpful 😘 xx

Congratulations on hitting the 1k views and 800 followers on twitter! Great tips for new bloggers, will definitely follow some of these – I’ll have to go to B&Q and check out their sample wallpapers and see if I can use any – that’s so useful!

Thank you so much for the comment Corinne 😘 It’s amazing what blogging can teach us! Wow, I wouldn’t have a clue how to make a gif in photoshop. Well done! 🌷 I am going to ask you for tips if I ever need to make one now 😘 xx

Congrats on reaching those milestones, that’s brilliant. This is such a helpful post, full of fab tips and advice. I love Twitter too, it’s my favourite social channel. And I’m off to B&Q this weekend to check out their wallpaper samples, excellent tip! X

This will definitely be so helpful to so many new bloggers. I remember how overwhelmed i felt with all the other bloggers with their amazing photos and content when i first started out. I would say one of my main tips is to just work with what you have and keep learning along the way!

Congrats for everything you’ve achieved with your blog! Very helpful tips too, I’ve recently been thinking about creating a Twitter account to connect to more bloggers, I think I will now I’ve read this <3 xx

Thanks so much for sharing helpful information for new bloggers. I have my notebook & pen ready. I am still eager to learn new things. My first month of blogging is in two days & I am excited that I have 3 followers from WordPress…Woo-hoo!

Happy 1 month anniversary & all your view stats! 👏 really enjoyed this encouraging read as I’ve only been blogging myself for 6 weeks (a bit behind you with 700views) so it was useful to me at this point. Great tip re the wallpaper – who knew hey! 👌😉 great post 😊👍

Thank you for your lovely comment Helen 💕. I’m glad you found the post useful. It sounds like you are doing really well, keep it up 😘. He he, the wallpaper tip is such a good one, it really changes a photo 😃 xx

Thanks, Brexa! I am relatively new to blogging. I started on the encouragement of a friend: https://theblogbroadblog.wordpress.com/ I had sent her a copy of a book I wrote. So I started blogging too. I love to write, I love to take photos and I love to tell stories. I’m finding it hard to do all that social media crap, mainly because of my day-job as a teacher. I can’t have creative freedom AND be a teacher. But I would love for my life to just be writing funny stories, books, even articles. I’m really glad I found your blog and I really like what you’re doing to help grow an audience for yourself and others- this Sunday Blog share is really cool. 🙂 You’re awesome!

Thank you for your lovely comment 💕. It sounds like you have a passion for creativity and blogging is such a good place to get your ideas out. Good luck with your writing, can’t wait to read more of your blog! 😘 xx

Great post! I think we can all certainly make a lot of mistakes when we start blogging – I know I did and I wrote a whole post on all the mistakes I made a year or so back. It was quite funny! The most important thing is to keep learning and be open to learning, I think. I’ve been blogging 5 years next year and I’m still learning things (: xxx

Thank you so much for sharing this lovely post Bexa. You are so supportive and kind and it looks like you have helped many bloggers with this post. The fact that you took the time to write out these tips is incredibly helpful for those who are starting out, and I appreciate that about you. Supporting newer bloggers with advice is so important. Your blog and graphics are absolutely stunning. Keep up the amazing work that you do. x

Aw thank you so much for your lovely encouraging comment April 💕. Your tweets and blog posts are always so inspirational ❤️ you are such a sweet and supportive person. I really appreciate your feedback and kind words, that means so much to me 😘 xx

I am a newbie blogger, Bexa, and I found this really helpful. I’ve checked out your site and I really like all the colors and helpful suggestions. I like the idea of wallpaper samples too. Thank you for sharing.

Hi Bexa! I just found your blog via twitter and am now a new follower. What a gorgeous blog, and your posts read so genuinely. I just read your year anniversairy post, and now this, and what awesome success. I just started my blog a few days ago and it’s daunting but I’m so excited. I think what I’ve noticed that I’m excited for the most is all the positivity that surrounds the blogging community. Thank you for your tips and I look forward to your posts!

Aww thank you so much for the sweet comment Rachel, you are so kind. Yay! That is so exciting you have just started blogging, I wish you all the success and looking forward to reading your posts too <3 xx